The findings are published in the on-line edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"When DNA damage occurs in normal cells, a checkpoint pathway is activated that triggers apoptosis when that damage cannot be repaired," said Cyclis Vice President of Research Dr. Chiang J. Li, senior author of the paper. "In cancer cells these pathways are defective, leading to uncontrolled growth. These studies strongly suggest that one such pathway, involving the E2F1 protein, can be turned on with small molecule drugs, leading to selective killing of cancer cells."
"This research details one example of how our ACT
In these studies, the researchers compared the effects of ß-lapachone on human cancer cell and normal cell survival. They demonstrated that the compound selectively induces apoptosis in the tumor cells, but not in normal cells. They further showed that ß-lapachone-treated cancer cells, but not normal cells, exhibit elevated E2F1 protein levels, indicating activation of a specific checkpoint apoptosis pathway. Prior published research by Dr. Li and colleagues has demonstrated the effectiveness of ß-lapachone in animal models.
In addition to Dr. Li, other authors on the paper were Youzhi Li, Ph.D., Xiangao Sun, Ph.D., both of whom are now at Cyclis, and Arthur Pardee, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a member of the Cyclis Scientific Advisory Board.
About Cyclis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Cyclis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Norwood, MA, is engaged in the discovery and development of novel drugs for the treatment of cancer based on the restoration and activation of cellular checkpoints. The Company's unique approach, Activated Checkpoint Therapy
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences